Vrbové

Sister cities

• Vítkov
• Spišské Podhradie
• Allstedt

History

The present-day town is a very old settlement. The name of the town is derived from a Slavic word for willow. The first written reference to the town stems from 1332, at that time it was part of the Čachtice Castle domain. The town was famous for its grain markets, promoted mainly by Jews, who made up a large part of the town's population. In the late 20th century, the town was home to clothing (Trikota works), trading and wood-processing industries. Vrbové is infamous for its past as a Jewish ghetto. During World War II, the entire town of Vrbové was a ghetto for the Jewish population of the Piešťany province of Slovakia. The ghetto was liquidated by the Slovak Nazis known as the Hlinka Guard and the German SS; most of the Jewish people were deported to the death camp at Auschwitz. Most of Vrbove's Jewish population was gassed in Auschwitz's gas chambers.